Speedometer-drive reducer



Patented May 14, I y

- 'U NIT ED lSTA'IEES DELAWARE` Application filed June V5,

This invention relates togearing and is deto provide variable speedratios for drivingk the speedometer. By the structure which is made thesubject 'of this invention a unitary device has been provided to takecare of this necessity. It is an object of theinvention to provide aunitary adaptor capable of attachment to a power line'between' adrivinfr and a driven member and containing gearing having thepossibility of widely varying driving-ratios. A furtherobject is tosecure this variation of gear ratios by making the structure of'two.identical parts capable of beingsecuredv together in different positionsOfadjustment to correspond with the varying gearratios.

Another object of the invention is vthe-'provision of structures wherebythe driving and driven gears are interchangeable, thus providing astep-up as well asa step-down transmission unit and consequentlydoubling the number of available gear ratios.

be had from a study of the followingspecificationand examination of theaccompanying drawing. i

Referring to the drawing: 1 e v Figurel represents the unitary adaptorin section.f y 1" Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same parts beingbroken away. v

Referring by reference characters. toV the drawing, numeral l representsone of two identical parts constituting a gear housing unitj Referencecharacter 2 is applied to the second half housing member. Part l is, aswill be seen from Figure l,.in the form of a shallow cup having aneccentric opening 3 extending through the bottom thereof and through athreaded sleeve member 4 projecting therefrom. The outer end of saidopen end 3 is enlarged as at 5. Extending through said opening 3 is ashaft 7 having a non-circular end adapted to engage an end of a shaft Afull understanding of the invention may fsrnisnolvrnrnannvn :annessa1926. `Serial N0..113,912.

vwithwhich shaft 7--isto be cou-pled indriving relation. It will-be.understood that the specific shape of the non-circular end is no npartof .this invention, the v part sho wn i being merely illustrative ofany provision `for a suitable driving connection;` The threaded Shaft 9has at it-s end within the sleevevl3y is to be connectedr an opening l5by which it with an external shaft.v

For securing the two halves of thevcasing together there is apair ofchannel shaped circumferential clamping members 21'. These clampingmembers engage the' walls of the casing asfbest'shown in'Figure l..Theclamp has mating flanges 23 which are secured to-` gether bybolts25, and `nuts 27. By this means it will be seen that the casing membersmay be secured together in circumferentially' adjusted position j fl/Vithin the housing constituted by members l and. 2 there are carriedengaging ygear members. @n shaft 9 there is mounted an internal ringgear Q9. This gear may b e secured in any convenient way as by a screw3l, threaded into the end of shaft-9. On shaft7 is a l pinion 35similarly secured by a screw` 37.

Va'shers 39.v may be employed by the gears and the inner walls of thecup.

It will be vseen that ify a driving engagement exists betweenv gear 29and pinion .35

when the members l and 2 are in the posit-ion shown, the rotation of l'and 2 will destroyk the driving connection between the gear Vmemf` bersand will require a pinion of al different size. This is obviouslytheresult of the eccentric position of shaft 7 It is the intention thatthere yshall be provided, with thetwo lcasing members and their shaftsand the internal gear, a plurality of pinions, each of which may beassociated with the internal gear to give a drive ata `definite ratio.make use of each of these pinions it is only Aram -rricu i] CLARENCE Ml.Eason AND enen-GE n. omvnr., orronrins; arresteert, nssrGNoRs ro GENERALMorofas CORPORATION, or nnTRornnrci-rreen, a ooarorm'rron or what may becalled an adaptor unit for place-l ment int-o a power transmission lineand which unit, when associated with a plurality of pinions, constitutesa compact and con-` venient means for changing the driving'ratio betweena driving and a` driven member, and also of inverting any given ratio.

7e claim:

1. A separable transmission unit comprising concentric membersrelatively adjustable about their common center circumferentially toconstitute a gear housing, each. member provided `with an eccentricexternal shaft carryingv sleeve having attaching means', parallelshafts, one in each of said sleeves, and gearing for driving said shaftsone fromv the other within said housinff.

2. A separable power transmission unit comprising concentric membersrelatively adjustable about theircommon center circumferentially andconstituting a gear housing, each' member having an external eccentricshaft carrying sleeve, parallel shafts, vone in each of said sleeves,securing means `on said sleeves for attachment of the unit, and gearingon the said shafts within the housing.

3. A power transmission unit comprising two members constituting ahousing, means to secure said housing members together inYcircumferentially adjusted position, an externally extended sleevepositioned eccentrically ,on each member', a shaft mounted in eachsleeve, attaching means on said sleeves,

relative circumferential adjustment of said members permitting changesin the gearing between said shafts, the gearing elements beinginterchangeable to double the number of gear ratios.

4. A transmission unit comprising two identical cup shaped members, ashaft eX- tending Y eccentrically through each cup shaped member, meanswithin the unit for 4gearing the shafts together, means to secure thecup shaped members in relatively adjustable concentric positions toaccommodate different gearing elements and secure varying tween theshafts, means for clamping theV housing and cover together in adjustedpositions to accommodate changed gearing elements onsaid shafts, saidlast named means consisting of a two part clamp engaging the edges ofsaid housing and cover.

6. An adaptor unit having cooperating casing members with eccentricattaching sleeves, shafts in said casing members eX- tending through thesleeves, cooperating gears on said shafts within said unit, the casingmembers being concentrically adjustable to accommodate varying gearelements on the shafts, the elements of each gear shaft beinginterchangeable.

7. A unitary adaptor comprising a driving gear shaft and a driven gearshaft, an internal toothed gear on one shaft and anexternally toothedgear on the other shaft, a half casing member in which each shaft iseccentrically mounted, the half casing members being adapted forrelative rotation about al common center to a plurality ofpositions-whereby substitution of gearing elements with consequentchanged gear ratios is made possible.

8; A unitary transmission adaptor comprising two half casing membersrelatively adjustable circumferentially, an eccentric shaft through eachmember, gearing between said shafts within the adaptor includinginterchangeable gearing elements, the relative circumferentialadjustment permitting a substitution of gear elements to provide varyinggear ratios.

9. A separable adaptor transmission unit comprising cooperating membershaving a common center and forming a closed chamber, each of saidmembers having an eccentric journal.shaftsmountedinsaidjournals,meshing'gears mounted on said shafts withinv said chamber, said members beingadjustable about their common center whereby substitution of gears andchanged gear ratios may be effected.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures.

.CLARENCE M. EASON. GEORGE R. OLIVER.

